Absence makes the Heart Grow Fonder
by Beauty Mouse
Summary: After being separated from his older brother Gaara starts to feel differently about the makeup wearing brunette. Now that they're going to the same all boys school can anything come of this forbidden relationship? AU KankyGaa Lime in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

I love KankyGaa there isn't enough of it, so I decided I'd give it a try and hope for the best. Just so you know this IS for my health so I will post until I get tired of it. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did I would have _**wwwwwaaaaaaayyyyyyy**_ to much fun with Kankuro and Gaara.

* * *

Kankuro stood with a few other boys laughing and joking in their strict looking uniforms. It didn't seem right. 

"Oi! Get to class!" a teacher yelled. Kankuro gave a smirk, his face paint emphasizing it.

"Ja na." Uchiha Itachi raised a hand to wave good-bye as he walked to class. The rest followed suit.

"School sucks." Kankuro muttered, his sharp eyes looking for his class. He strode into class confident he beat the teacher there. The boys were still chattering excitedly about the approaching break.

"Kankuro-san, where will you be going?" the boy's name escaped Kankuro as he sat down.

"Home. My mom is still upset about the divorce."

"Ah." The boy backed away as he said it, he returned to speaking with his other classmates.

" 'Kuro-kun!" A jovial voice called, slamming his hands on Kankuro's desk. He twitched.

"Ukon-baka, _don't_ call me that."

"Aw! 'Kuro-kun!" The gray-haired boy teased.

"Knock it off."

"Don't you love me anymore?" Ukon continued.

"Zakkenayo!"

"So mean!" he said and sat on Kankuro's desk. Kankuro glared and started pushing him off. Ukon hopped off his desk once he saw Sakon. He then preceded to glomp his twin. Completely used to his brother's antics he went to sit next to Kankuro. Ukon sat behind him.

"How do you put up with him?" Kankuro said shaking his head.

"After sixteen years, you get used to it. Or you die." Sakon said with an incredibly serious face. Kankuro gave a dry laugh.

"So, when does your brother start at our wonderful all boys' school?" Ukon asked.

"The new semester, he recently found out about the Home-ec, classes." Kankuro answered with a grin.

"Gaara-kun's new hobby?" Sakon inquired. Kankuro nodded.

"Aaaawwww! He likes to cook?" Ukon squealed.

"Don't get any ideas! Yeah, and he's really good too." He replied with a sigh. Ukon gave another delighted squeal.

"_Ukon-baka, don't_." Kankuro said forebodingly. The twins subconsciously receded.

"He won't Kankuro-kun, I'll make sure." Sakon recovered.

"Good. What are you guys doing for the break?"

"We're staying here, unfortunately." Ukon said with a frown.

"Oh, that sucks."

"It's not so bad, there are only a few people here so it's almost like we rule the school. Almost." Ukon reported happily as he distracted himself with a pencil. Kankuro gave him an odd look but he ignored it.

"Kankuro-kun how's Temari-chan?" Sakon asked.

"She was pretty good last time we talked, she misses Gaara-chan a lot. And mom of course. Other then that she seemed okay."

"That's good- Ukon! Don't poke yourself!"

"Ouch!" the entire class turned to look at Ukon. Kankuro once again shook his head as Sakon got up and tried to comfort his brother, he handed the opposing object to Kankuro. The looks dissipated as Ukon calmed down.

"I don't know how you do it. I honestly don't know." Kankuro said exasperatedly. Sakon shot him a fierce glare as he sat back down.

"Can I have my pencil 'Kuro-kun?" Ukon asked.

"Stop calling me that." He said as he handed the pencil back. Ukon gladly took it back.

"Don't poke yourself this time." Sakon warned. Footsteps slowly clacked against the tiled floor and their classroom door opened.

"Yo." Came the deep voice of their sensei. "Sorry I'm late, I got lost on the road of life, now open to-" The bell rang dismissing the students. The gray-haired man smiled, "never mind then." The students walked out to their next assigned locations.

"Say hi to Itachi-kun okay? Ja na!" Ukon yelled. Sakon gave a somber nod to Kankuro as they dispersed. Kankuro made his way to the large cafeteria, using his bulk to push past crowds.

An enlivened hand waved to Kankuro.

"Saved you a spot!" Kiba called. The teenager was two years younger than Kankuro, but he still considered Kiba a close friend.

"It sucks to have the last lunch," Kiba commented, "The best food is gone."

"The food is crap, private school or not, so it really doesn't matter." Kankuro said sardonically.

"No need to get mean about it," Kiba sulked, "Anone Itachi-kun! Over here!" The petite senior made his way to them.

"Sakon-kun and Ukon-kun say hi." Kankuro notified him.

"Sakon-kun?" Itachi asked incredulously.

"Okay, just Ukon-kun, but you know Sakon-kun means it."

"Oh, Sasori-sensai says hi as well." Itachi said with a sly smile.

"…Great…he's the teacher who said I was cute…" Kankuro said hesitantly.

"You'll have him next year, good luck." Itachi chuckled.

"Har-har." Kankuro said dryly, as the line moved.

"I'm so hungry! I hate having lunch last!" Kiba whined. Kankuro nodded in agreement.

"At least today is almost over, just three more classes." Itachi reassured. The line continued to move and the company of three managed to get their food. Next came the daunting task of finding a seat. Doing a quick survey, Kiba found a spot near the back.

"How about over there?" Kiba asked. The other two shrugged and followed him to the appointed table.

"Itadakimasu!"

"What are you guys doing over the break?" Kiba asked as they started eating.

"Staying, someone has to keep an eye on Ukon-kun and Sakon-kun." Itachi said simply.

"I'm heading back home, I haven't seen mom or Gaara-chan in while. What about you?"

"I'm heading home as well, though I see my mom every weekend. I can't wait to get out of school though." Kiba replied. The older boys agreed.

"Go-chisou sama deshita!"

* * *

**Ja na**: Is just saying "see ya" though it is for guys (Ja ne is for girls I believe)  
**Zakkenayo**: fuck off.  
**Anone**: Used to get someone's attention, like "Say! Listen!"  
**Itadakimasu**: Said before eating.  
**Go-chisou sama deshita**: Said after eating. 

I could be wrong, so correct me. Future chapters will be longer I hope. Oh and the thing about Gaara cooking, well when I look at him I picture him being able to cook. I just do and since I am the writer I can do whatever I want.


	2. Chapter 2

I intend to update once a week, but don't hold your breath. I know you guys are like: Hold our breath over _THAT PIECE OF CRAP?  
_except it has a million exclamation points and question marks. I tried to add more sexual overtones to make it seem more  
'highschool-ish' but maybe I over did it, I hope it works out. Oh, and this takes place slightly before winter break, don't ask. I have 50 hits and 1 review? Where are you people?

* * *

The alarm blared loudly. The brown-haired teen tried his best to ignore it, then begrudgingly got up. 

"Alright already." He punctuated it with a loud yawn as he hit the off switch. He scratched his bare stomach as he searched his disaster-of-a-dorm for his only clean uniform. He sighed and glanced at his alarm clock six was far too early to be up and about. He pulled up his required pants, buttoned them up and strode into his tiny bathroom. Kankuro picked up his toothbrush and quickly brushed them. He picked up his pristine white shirt, slipped it on, and then buttoned up his jacket over the shirt. He made his way back to the bathroom to apply his purple kabuki style make-up. Kankuro only wore it to piss his teachers off, and it worked. It was not against the rules to wear face-paint, but none of the teachers liked it. Except Sasori-sensai, whom Kankuro had passed in the halls once. Kankuro grabbed his things and gave one last loud yawn before walking out of his dorm to the school building a few blocks away.

"Anone! 'Kuro-kun!" Ukon shouted and waved running to catch up.

Kankuro waved back, "O-hayou gozaimasu!"

"You look tired, are you worried about something?" Sakon asked arriving mere seconds after Ukon.

"No. School should not start before noon, that's all." Kankuro put on a smile.

"Hell-o 'Kuro-kun!" Ukon said vying for attention.

"Enough with that! Stop it!" Kankuro demanded. Ukon adorned an appeased grin.

"Are you sure?" Sakon pressed.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." Kankuro replied irritably.

"You look like you had a nightmare." Ukon commented.

"No, but if I did, I don't remember it."

"You don't need to remember it." Sakon said eerily. Kankuro backed away from him.

"Look, I'm fine."

"It was probably about Gaa-chan." Ukon commented as if Kankuro wasn't there.

"Hey! You can't call him that!" The brunette protested.

"Yeah, perhaps he is worried others will _take advantage _of poor Gaa-chan." Sakon continued. Ukon agreed, "Or maybe he's worried _he'll_ do _something_ with his brother."

"Stop that! Stop talking about Gaa-chan! What the hell do you mean by 'something'!" Kankuro ranted.

" I don't think he's the type to molest his brother." Sakon contemplated. Kankuro couldn't even form a sentence.

"I don't know, I know if Gaa-chan was _my_ brother I would molest him, he's absolutely adorable!" Ukon squeaked.

"When have you seen him?" Sakon asked confused.

"Yeah! When did you see my brother!" Kankuro demanded.

"I was poking around in Kankuro's room when I found a picture of him. He has such cute red hair and beautiful little blue eyes! I noticed Kankuro has _a lot _of pictures of him." Ukon continued teasing.

"WHAT?" Kankuro was shocked at what the twins were insinuating.

"You'll have to show me." Sakon said dubiously.

"I will."

Flabbergasted was the only way to describe Kankuro's face as they opened the school doors.

* * *

Sunaga 

"When is my Kan-chan going to get here?" came the motherly voice of Karura.

"Tomorrow." The redhead helping her cook answered.

"Do you think he's gay yet?" Karura asked with a sigh.

"He's got to be at least bi. If not he's asexual." Gaara added carrots to the broth.

"Don't even say that! It's been so long since we've seen him." Karura said remorsefully, her knife going still.

"It has." Gaara said softly, his black lids closing briefly.

* * *

Forth period 

"Alas, parting is such bitter sorrow! I miss my Sakon-chan! Why isn't he here yet?" Ukon pleaded.

"I don't know." Kankuro answered dispassionately. Ukon gave a small gasp.

"Where is he?" Ukon wailed again.

"Damn, and you said I was in love with _my_ brother." Kankuro rolled his eyes.

"It's not my fault you don't have eyes to see how sexy your brother is! Sakon-kun is _very_ attractive." Ukon said in mock seriousness. The class had grown use to Kankuro and Ukon's bickering.

"I'm here." Sakon said.

"Yes!" Ukon said as he glomped his missing brother.

"He thinks you're sexy." Kankuro commented.

"I _AM_ sexy. Admit it. _We_ are sexy. You want a threesome." Sakon said. Kankuro made a gagging motion. Sakon sat next to him.

"He insulted our sexiness. We'll have to come over and dance provocatively for him. He'll be sorry!" Ukon declared and then sat down. Kankuro half believed him too, but he only laughed.

* * *

After class  
Kankuro's dormitory. 

Kankuro kicked off his regulation shoes and stepped into his dorm. He walked over to his much-too-small closet and grabbed a suitcase. He immediately began packing it for his trip back home. He smiled at the thought of returning to his hometown.

"Knock-knock." Sakon said as he and his twin stepped into his room.

"Your room is a mess 'Kuro-kun!" Ukon informed him.

"What? You don't have enough room to dance?" Kankuro asked with a laugh.

"No, we do our best dancing," Ukon paused to pull Sakon near, "close." He finished.

"I can already feel my cock rising." He said, stuffing clothes into his bag.

"You know it!"

"We came to help pack." Sakon conceded.

"Saaakkkkooonnnn, you weren't supposed to tell!" Ukon whined. Kankuro chuckled at his friend's expense.

"I don't think our dance was working anyway. Oh! Gaa-chan's picture!" Ukon said digging through Kankuro's drawers.

"Hey! I keep my clothes in there!" Kankuro yelled as Ukon pulled out his boxers, making a point play with them. Ukon looked thoughtful then stuck Kankuro's boxers on Sakon's head.

"Hey! My boxers!" Kankuro scrambled to pull them off. Ukon placed another pair on his own head and Kankuro tackled him. His legs ended upstraddling Ukon's waist as Sakon wrapped his arms around Kankuro's neck.

"Hey! An orgy! Why weren't we invited?" Itachi asked his brother.

"Itachi-kun!" Ukon ran to glomp him, boxers still defiantly placed atop his head.

"Um, boxers? On your head?" Itachi gently pucked them off with his free hand.

"Mine!" Kankuro snatched the boxers and glared at Ukon. Ukon scampered back to Kankuro's dresser drawer and pulled out the elusive album.

"Oi! Put that down!" Kankuro commanded. The other three rushed to see the picture of Gaara.

"He's so kawaii!"

"Awww!"

"Adorable!"

"Hn."

"That's all you can say about him, Sasuke-kun?" Itachi asked.

"Hey! Leave my photo album alone!" Kankuro grabbed the tiny booklet and snapped it shut.

"I have to pack! Unless you're going to do a provocative dance I suggest you leave." Kankuro added to lighten the mood.

"We tried but you are a prude! Itachi-kun, Sasuke-kun, you try! He's a prude! P-R-U-D-E!" Ukon teased.

"No I'm not!" He yelled as he continued to pack.

"Hey when do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning, it's a long flight. I won't get there until five."

"That's right you live in Sunaga." Ukon said hopping on his bed. Kankuro stuffed the last of his clothes into the bag and grabbed his toothbrush.

"Ah, all done." Kankuro announced.

"We have to visit Kiba, and say good-bye." Sakon said.

"Yeah I'll come too," Kankuro was distracted by his cell ringing; he checked the ID, Temari. "I'll catch up." The other four nodded and headed to Kiba's dorm.

"Moshi moshi! How are you?"

"Eh, I'm fine. I miss you guys. Dad's being a pain. How are you?"

"I miss you too I suppose. I'm heading out to say good-bye to my friends; I head out to Sunaga tomorrow. What's dad doing?"

"He wants me to learn how to 'manage money' better."

"Another shopping spree?"

"Yeah." She sighed. Kankuro sniggered to himself.

"Mom can't wait to see you. Prepare yourself." She added.

"Yeah, I'm a little anxious." He replied.

"I better let you go. I miss you. Love ya, mean it!"

"Miss you too. Talk to you soon." He said then hung up the phone. He then raced out of the room to say good-bye to Kiba.

* * *

Sorry about all the switching that won't happen so much. 

**Anone:** (see last chapter)  
**O-hayou gozaimasu:** Good morning! (of course.)  
**Kawaii:** (If you don't know then I'm a little shocked) Cute, though it is usually used by itself. Just deal with it.  
**Moshi moshi:** Hello, but only on phones.

Well that wraps it up. Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

Yay! Another chapter and it's on time! It's boring, but hey I'm still in the beginnings of my story. Shout out goes to Kylie-chan, for being an awsome reviewer and writer, my most humble apologies for being confusing.  
Kankuro "lives" with his mom, she sends him to Konoha because the education is better, he's been going since his freshman year. Gaara didn't want to go until he found out about the new cooking classes(and he misses his dear Kan-chan! SSSSHHH! he doesn't know yet!). Temari lives with their father.  
I hope everyone is enjoying the story. All 130 non-reviewers.

* * *

Kankuro pulled on his casual clothes, which consisted of a pair of jeans an oversized black T-shirt, and a unique hood styled after a cat. He didn't put on his face paint, no teachers today. He shouldered his suitcase, slipped his plane ticket into his pocket and walked out the door. 

_I should say good-bye if everyone's up._ Kankuro thought. He walked to dorm number 116, Sakon and Ukon's. He quietly rapped on the door. There were muffled voices and the door creaked open.

" Kuro-kun! Kuro-kun with no face paint! I see why you weren't aroused by our dance! You are HOT and we didn't know! Take the hood off! Wait, take your pants off! You must have time for a quickie!" Ukon rambled. Sakon slowly meandered to the door.

"K-kan-kan-kuro!" Sakon gasped uncharacteristically.

"I just came to say good-bye before I headed off. Wait what?" Kankuro was obviously on autopilot.

"Take your pants off!" Ukon shouted.

"He means to say you look good. And you do. You should wear your face paint less." Sakon translated after he recovered.

"Pants need to come off right now!" Ukon wailed.

"Sorry, I got to get going. Um, thanks I guess…" Kankuro said while walking away.

"You know, Kuro-kun and Gaa-chan look nothing alike. Neither does Temari-chan." Ukon commented, his finger tapping his chin.

"Hm, they don't." Sakon concurred as he shut the door.

Kankuro wondered the halls until he found the Uchiha dorm. He lightly knocked but there was no answer so he continued to the door. Stepping out of the dormitory Kankuro raised a hand and tried to hale a taxi. After a few bypassed him taxi 3117 stopped. Kankuro felt relieved as he put his baggage into the trunk of the yellow vehicle. He opened the door and sat in the back.

"Where to, sir?" The driver asked.

"Airport." Kankuro said. There was only one in Konoha so Kankuro didn't bother naming it. He stared out his window. Konoha was so much more metropolitan than Sunaga. He watched as shops passed and large company buildings.

"So, where are you going?" The man politely asked.

"Sunaga." Kankuro answered simply, he couldn't think of anything to ask the man.

"Your parents giving you a vacation?" He asked. Kankuro laughed.

"No, my family lives there, I couldn't imagine wanting a vacation there." Kankuro said.

"I think Sunaga is a quaint enough place. The hot springs are amazing." He defended.

Kankuro nodded, "Yeah, the hot springs are great, but that's about it."

"Most unfortunate," The man said, "so your parents ship you to the Konoha Sarutobi Academy?"

"Yeah, my brother's starting next semester. And I have to admit, though I miss the girls, the school is pretty good." Kankuro said.

"Yes, KSA is most impressive, as expected of Sarutobi-sama." The man regarded for a moment.

"Ah, here you are, twenty-three fifty is your fee." The taxi driver affirmed. Kankuro quickly paid the man and pulled out his bag.

"Arigatou gozaimashita." Kankuro said and waved. Kankuro stomped up the steps to the fancy airport and pulled out his ticket.

_Gate A3_

_Where the hell is that?_ Kankuro wondered briefly. He gave a fleeting look at the signs in hope of them telling him which way to go. Of course, no luck. Kankuro walked up to the front desk.

"Sumi masen, where is gate A three?" he asked courteously. The woman gave him the directions and he made his way to the gate after the horrible ordeal of baggage checking. After glancing atthe clock Kankuro realized he had ten minutes before he was due. He set his bag down and took a seat. He stretched in his chair then yawned.

"Too early a flight for you?" A redhead asked. Kankuro jumped.

"S-sasori-sensei!" Kankuro yelped.

"What? I can't have a life my own?" Sasori chided while he sat next to Kankuro.

"I just didn't expect," Kankuro started.

"I almost didn't recognize you without the Kabuki make-up. You look cute." Sasori interrupted.

"Ah, um, arigatou, Sasori-sensei. Why are you going to Sunaga?" Kankuro gulped, this man scared him.

"I'm visiting my grandmother. You?"

"My family as well." Kankuro responded.

"I'm retiring after this year, I'm going to help design robots for Honda."

"You enjoy working with machines too?" Kankuro asked excitedly.

"I've designed quite a few." Sasori answered. They talked for a while about mechanics and new ideas and weather or not A.I. was something to look into.

"_All those sitting in first class, please board the plane at this time."_ The voice rang out.

"That's me, see you Kankuro-kun." Sasori said and got up. Kankuro waved and wished he'd gotten to know the man sooner. After a long time in line Kankuro embarked. He scanned the aircraft for seat F-12 and found it. He opened the overhead compartment and shoved his luggage in it. Kankuro then took his seat.

"_Please make sure all trays are in the upright position, all seatbelts are fastened and that electronics are off. Enjoy the flight!"_ The plane started to shake as it took off. Kankuro sorely wished he'd brought gum, his ears were popping madly. Finally the large plane reached the correct altitude and Kankuro's ears had adapted. The 'fasten seatbelt' sign was turned off and the pilot broadcasted that it was safe to move about the plane. The flight was nine hours long so Kankuro made himself comfortable. He noticed the bag containing headphones and he slipped them on. He began browsing through the few channels the plane had. Kankuro settled for the kids' movie Shrek. Not too long after a flight attendant offered him some tamagoyaki. He ate it quickly while he watched the movie.

After an hour Kankuro felt bored out of his mind. The movie was too lame to continue watching, the food was prosaic, the flight was far to long, and the brat sitting in front of him was yakking his ears off.

"Hey mister! Your hat is funny!" a five-year-old blonde laughed.

"Shut up kid." Kankuro was not in the mood to deal with this brat. Where were his parents?

"It's F-U-N-N-Y, funny. I can spell!" The child went on.

"That's great. Go away." He snarled.

"My name is Hiro! What's yours mister?" the boy persisted.

"Go away."

"That's not a name!" Hiro exclaimed as if _he _were exasperated.

"No, it's not, it's an order." Kankuro growled becoming more and more annoyed with this little monster.

"You're not my daddy!" The petulant child announced.

"Where are your parents?" Kankuro was sick of Hiro.

"My daddy's on the potty." He answered almost, proudly.

"Please _don't _be constipated!" Kankuro whispered, then replied, "Didn't he teach you not to talk to strangers?" The little boy gasped, and turned around. Kankuro smirked, stupid brat. Kankuro put the headphones back on and perused through the channels. He settled on a document on Sunaga, it just talked about all the amazing hot springs there. Sighing, Kankuro turned his consideration to the topography. Watching as hills rolled into plains and plains into towns.

"Sumi masen, sir, would you like some sushi?" Apparently he had fallen asleep. His headphones rested around his neck

"Ii desu ne!" Kankuro responded happily. The attendant handed him a tray with soy sauce and wasabi. After finishing his meal Kankuro went back to sleep in hopes the plane ride would not last long. He still had three more hours to go.

"_Please lift your trays to an upright position, fasten your seatbelts and make sure all electronics are off, we are about to land at the Sunaga airport. Please fly again." _The intercom crackled. Shortly, the plane started descending. Kankuro's ears started popping once more, thankfully not as bad. The plane shook a bit as the landing gears touched down. It stopped and the passengers were told to disembark in an orderly manner. Kankuro pulled out his stuff then spotted Sasori.

"Sasori-sensei! How was your flight?" Kankuro asked once he caught up.

"Reasonably pleasant. The food was good. What about you Kankuro-kun?" the redhead asked.

"Lame. Coach class sucks." The taller boy said.

"Technically, it's economy class Kankuro-kun." Sasori corrected. Kankuro shrugged as he walked into the lobby.

"KAN-CHAN!" Karura shouted. Kankuro cringed. Sasori smiled lightly.

"Is that your mother?" he asked. Kankuro nodded. She ran up to them.

"I have to go, I'm sorry Kaze-sama. See you Kankuro-kun." Sasori said and left.

"Who was that, Kan-chan?" Karura squealed.

"That was Sasori-sensei. No mom I'm not gay." Kankuro groused. Karura gave an embittered sigh, "I still love you."

"Thanks." Kankuro deadpanned. Karura smiled as she checked him over.

"It's so good to have you back sweetheart." She said and hugged him. Kankuro had to leaned down to hug her back.

"Where's Gaara-chan?" Kankuro asked looking around.

"He's back at home, don't worry." Karura replied.

"What he didn't want to see his older brother?" Kankuro joked.

"You look so lean! You've lost weight!" She gently lifted his shirt.

"Hey!" He protested.

"You've got some muscle now!" she exclaimed, a few people at the airport stared.

"Mom!" His cheeks flushed slightly at the attention.

"C'mon we should get going; do you have all your things?" Karura asked. Kankuro lifted his valise to emphasize that he had all his things.

"Ikimasho!" Karura said heading towards the parking lot.

* * *

Yes Honda does work on robots. I know little about it so the dialouge wasn't very good, but I wanted to include that Kankuro likes robots since we don't have awsome marionettes like he does. He will have to deal with it, just like Gaara. 

**Arigatou gozaimashita:** Thank you (formal)  
**Arigatou: **Thank you  
**Sumi masen: **Excuse me, used to get someone's attention.  
**Tamagoyaki:** A japanese omelet.  
**Sushi, wasabi:** Raw fish, vegetables or various other things with rice wrapped in seaweed, wasabi is a "hot sauce" that goes with it.  
**Ii desu ne:** Sounds good.  
**Ikimasho: **Let's go

Hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey look another chapter it's early because I was so pleased with the reviews! I would update TwD but it is being edited. Some Kankuro Gaara interaction in this chapter. Yeah! I really hope you guys are enjoying this. More food this chapter, sorry Kylie-chan.

* * *

Kankuro walked into the house and was immediately met with the smell of exceptional food. 

"I'm not quite done, Moushiwake arimasen deshita." Gaara said and bowed.

"Hey I know it's been a while but, there's no need to be formal Gaa-chan. What are you making?" Kankuro asked, his mouth watering.

"Tori no kara-age, Miso soup, Dango Jiru, Mushinasu and Watermelon Ice." Gaara answered.

"Sounds delicious! How much longer?" Kankuro asked.

"Fifteen or so minutes." Gaara answered. Kankuro sighed.

"It smells superb Gaa-chan!" Karura said, she turned to Kankuro, "Come look at our tree!" she said, pulling him into the family room.

"You decorated it without me?" Kankuro asked pretending to be hurt.

"We saved the star, Kan-chan." Karura said softly. Dad was usually the one to put up the star, for his mom to let him was a big thing. Kankuro smiled and hugged her, lifting her off the ground for a moment. She laughed.

"And with how tall you are, you won't even need to stand on a chair." That was true; Kankuro stood a good head taller than his father.

"Don't put it up until I get to watch!" Gaara called from the kitchen.

"All right! I'll put it up after dinner." Kankuro said. He was so glad to be home. He looked the tree over taking in all the colorful lights blinking and the ornaments. A few of them had been made by him, a few were Gaara's and way too many were Temari's. She had this phase where she would make ornaments almost non-stop. He smiled at the memory, she had made so many that year that there were only enough decorations for one more ornament and he and Gaara had to make theirs together as per tradition. Kankuro wondered where that embellishment was. He poked around for a few minutes before he found the thing. It was an averaged sized white trinket with red ribbon stitched across it. Kankuro had done the beading because his hands had always been deft. Gaara had come up with the design. It was the shape of a Christmas tree. He smiled as Gaara walked in.

"Dinner's ready. What are you looking at?" The redhead asked.

"Do you remember when Temari had her ornament fetish?" he asked.

_He's thinking about Temari,_ Gaara thought and for some reason it disappointed him.

"Yeah, are you looking at one of her ornaments?" Gaara riposted.

"No, the one you and I made because there where only enough beads for one. Would you believe you guys put in the back?" Kankuro said and moved it to the front of the tree. Gaara's dark lids blinked.

"Well let's eat!" Kankuro clapped his hands as he walked past Gaara. The three of them sat at the table and placed their hands together.

"Itadakimasu." They said and started eating. Kankuro closed his eyes and moaned slightly, "This great Gaa-chan!" he added. Karura nodded, "It's wonderful!"

"Arigato." Gaara said feeling almost giddy from Kankuro's response to his food.

It was getting dark and Sunaga was cooling down rapidly as they finished.

"I lost all that weight and you're going to give it back, damn you." Kankuro said, but he was only teasing.

"Gomen, Kan-chan." Gaara said with a light smile. Kankuro got up and started picking up plates.

"Kan-chan you're here on break! Enjoy yourself! Put those dishes down!" Karura insisted. Gaara got up and took the plates from Kankuro.

"Gaa-chan you cooked! I am your mother! I have to do something!" Karura said and snatched the plates from the unsuspecting Gaara.

"You, go watch T.V. or something, okay?" Karura said and started cleaning. The boys were left with this "unk?" expression on their faces, but they left.

"Miss me?" the brunette asked.

"I guess." Gaara said in acquiesce, as he sat down.

"Ass." Kankuro said and grabbed the remote. He flipped through the channels.

"I remember that movie." Gaara remarked.

" 'The year without Santa Clause', do you want to watch it?" Kankuro asked.

"Sure." Gaara replied. Gaara shivered slightly. Kankuro observed this and pulled Gaara into a close embrace. Gaara snuggled deeper into Kankuro's warmth as the movie went on. His stomach fluttered slightly but Gaara ignored it, thinking it was just contentment over his brother's return.

"You could use the heat miser." Kankuro joked.

"I _do_ use the heat miser." Gaara patted Kankuro's now flat stomach, affectionately. Kankuro snorted.

Karura walked in to the room and sat down, and then she recalled the star.

"Kan-chan, you need to put up the star! I'll get it!" she shouted. After that she pulled out the beautiful decoration.

"Here you go." She said and smiled, albeit sadly. Kankuro picked it up gently and slowly placed it on top of the tree. He stood back to make sure it was on correctly.

"I wish Temari were here too." Kankuro said after a long silence.

"Yeah." Gaara said.

"Well, I'm going to bed." Karura said, "You know where your room is." Kankuro nodded. Karura leaned up to kiss Kankuro goodnight, then Gaara. The boys finished watching the movie. Afterwards they went to bed.

* * *

Kankuro woke up at a lovely nine o'clock and got dressed, with his cat hood on he strode into the kitchen. 

"Morning, Gaa-chan! How'd you sleep?" Kankuro asked as he grabbed a bowl and some cereal.

"Dame yo." Gaara mumbled, "Insomnia." He continued incoherently.

"Genki o dashite." Kankuro said and squeezed Gaara. "I'm going shopping for mom, you want to come?"

"Sure!" Gaara perked up.

"After breakfast." Kankuro glanced around for the milk. He frowned.

"Here. I was using it for my coffee." Gaara offered the milk to his older brother.

"Thanks." Kankuro ate quickly, grabbed his cell and put on his shoes.

"Ready?" Kankuro asked.

"Yeah." Gaara said putting on his own shoes. Gaara opened the door and they walked out.

"Damn! It is hot! It's so dry." Kankuro said after walking only a few steps. Gaara looked at him.

"You must have gotten use to the weather in Konoha." He stated. Kankuro just nodded.

"Any ideas?" Gaara asked.

"Not really, has she asked for anything?" Kankuro inquired.

"For you to be gay." Gaara said flatly. Kankuro grimaced and shook his head.

"Is that it?" Kankuro almost whined.

"Yeah." Gaara peeked into a souvenir shop.

"She lives here, why would she want a souvenir?" Kankuro asked skeptically.

"You know mom loves little trinkets, let's just look." Gaara responded and pulled the larger boy into the store.

"Ah, it's nice in here." Kankuro said and began browsing. After poking around for a bit the siblings realized their mother wouldn't like any of the things in the store.

"Bummer." Kankuro said. Gaara nodded as they plodded to the next store. They peeked into a clothing outlet, a shoe store, five more souvenir shops and a Victoria Secret, which Kankuro was chased out of for being a pervert.

"Let's get something to eat." Gaara said pulling Kankuro's hand. The older boy walked slowly behind.

"Where?" He asked.

"The outdoor ramen stand?" Gaara requested.

"All right." Kankuro said and they made their way to it.

"What do you want Gaa-chan? I'll get it." Kankuro told the redhead noticing the line and the promptly disappearing tables.

"Pork." Gaara said, he didn't care what soup. He left to find a table while Kankuro stood in line. He reached the front a lot faster than he thought he would.

"What would you like?" the cashier asked.

"Two orders of pork ramen," Kankuro noticed a small cookbook, "and one of those cookbooks." He hadn't gotten Gaara anything yet. He hoped Gaara didn't already have one.

"All right." The lady said and handed it to him. Kankuro fished out his wallet, paid her and stuck the small book and wallet back into his pocket. She printed out the receipt and Kankuro moved out of the way.

"Order 211 up." One of the cooks said. Kankuro checked his receipt: 212. He shifted a bit and continued waiting.

"Order 212 up." Kankuro quickly grabbed the food and thanked the man. He scanned the crowd for Gaara's red hair. A hand waved and Kankuro made his way to the table. He placed his food opposite of Gaara.

"Arigatou, Kan-chan."

"No problem." He replied.

"Itadakimasu!"

"Do you think we'll find anything?" Gaara asked as he ate noodles.

"I'm sure we'll find something. Has she commented on anything that needs replacing?" Kankuro asked. Gaara thought for a moment.

"She lost an earring awhile ago."

"Let's look at a jewelry store next then." The brunette suggested. Gaara nodded, he was in the middle of chewing. Kankuro slurped the ramen up as Gaara watched in amazement.

"How do you do that?" The redhead asked.

"Do what?" Kankuro asked pausing.

"Slurp the noodles, every time I try the noodles whack me in the face." Gaara scowled as if slurping noodles was a necessity.

"What?" he asked.

"Watch." Gaara said flatly and attempted to slurp the ramen. Sure enough they hit his nose, leaving the sticky sauce on his pale skin. Kankuro laughed hysterically as he tried to wipe it off his poor little brother. The redhead blinked at Kankuro's close proximity, and his cheeks glowed.

"I can get it!" he practically shouted.

"I got it already." His brother replied, "I didn't mean to laugh at you. You were prepared for it and you still made such a shocked face."

"Let's just go." Gaara said hurriedly. Kankuro noticed the red tinting Gaara's face.

"Gaa-chan, I didn't mean to embarrass you." Kankuro said as Gaara harshly picked up the now empty bowls.

"Gaara! I didn't mean to, I'm sorry!" The older blathered; Gaara was making his way to a garbage can. His head was swimming as it pondered why he had such a reaction to Kankuro's touch. It wasn't humiliation, it kind of felt like last night. It was bubbly and fluttery and not altogether unpleasant. Kankuro was now behind him, he turned Gaara around.

"Hey, are you all right?" The taller one asked.

"Yeah. But let's go." Gaara said trying to dismiss those odd feelings. Kankuro smiled glad his brother was okay. Maybe Gaara was just cranky. He did have trouble sleeping, thus the dark rings around his eyes.

"Okay, lead the way." He said and they walked along the dusty sidewalk.

"So, you're not gay?" Gaara asked after the silence had grown uneasy.

"Nope."

"Bi?"

"No."

"Asexual?"

"No!"

"Denial?"

"What? No, I'm straight." Kankuro grumbled. Gaara tugged on his hood.

"You sure?" he asked suspiciously.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Gaara just smiled at the question. They arrived at a small jewelry department and walked inside. The duo skimmed through the expensive stuff, favoring something closer to their budget.

"Do you think mom would like these?" Gaara called. Kankuro made his way and loomed over Gaara, lightly breathing down his neck. Gaara shivered imperceptibly.

"I think so. We can get them if we pool our money." Kankuro answered as he straightened up.

Gaara nodded trying to fight back the heat rushing to his cheeks.

"Sumi masen, I'd like to purchase these." Kankuro said pulling out his wallet. He pulled out several bills and awaited Gaara's contribution.

"A fine choice, sirs." The clerk said in an aristocratic tone. He took the money and handed them the fancy earrings in a small box. The two dipped their heads to show thanks and left.

"You know, we never ate the Watermelon ice I made." Gaara admitted. Kankuro flashed a grin.

"Then let's hurry up."

* * *

No Naruto story is complete without ramen! I also can't slrup noodles without whacking myself in the face, it's so tragic. 

**Moushiwake arimasen deshita:** A really polite way of saying sorry.  
**Tori no kara-age: **Deep fried chicken nuggets  
**Miso soup: **Tofu, wakame soup.  
**Dango Jiru: **Dumplings with miso  
**Mushinasu: **Steamed eggplant  
**Watermelon** **Ice:** Watermelon juice, lemon juice, sugar mixed then frozen (I want some)  
**Gomen:** Informal sorry  
**Dame yo:** Bad  
**Genki o dashite:** Cheer up  
(Note, if you want more details on the food you'll have to look it up, I don't feel like writing out an entire recipe.)

♥Thank you all for reading. And thank you very much to those that are reviewing too!♥


	5. Chapter 5

This chapter is finally done. I've been preoccupied with Tangle with Death. I should know better than to write two stories at once. Grr. I would like to share my stupid mistake with you all. For most of the 'Merry Christmas'es I put Marry. Oops. I hope I got them all. I am very happy with all the reviews and all 500 hits, yes very happy indeed. So I updated very early!

Kylie-chan, you need to update. I'm just saying. j/k.

* * *

Gaara poured himself another cup of coffee while trying to keep the blankets around his arms. This marked his third cup this morning. He hoped someone would wake up soon he was bored, and unable to sleep. He sighed to himself and pulled the soft quilt closer. It was two in the morning; the chances of someone getting up were slim to none. There was nothing on T.V. at this hour and Gaara didn't want to disturb anybody anyway. He considered being mean and waking Kankuro for the hell of it. He wanted someone to talk to. He might start conversing with himself.  
Gaara set the coffee cup down angrily, as if to say he was mad at the coffee for not helping. He looked up to start counting the ceiling tiles again. He couldn't focus on them, but he still felt so restless. He was going to go wake Kankuro up. The brunette didn't mind when they were young, Gaara hoped he still felt the same. He drew his blanket close and walked to Kankuro's room quietly. He heard his feet making dull sounds on the floor. The red-haired boy gently poked his head though his brother's door. Kankuro yawned loudly and looked at the doorway drowsily. 

"Mmn, Gaara?" He asked squinting in the dark.

"Can't sleep. Can I come in?" Gaara requested.

"Sure." Another loud yawn emitted from the older teen. Gaara kicked a few things out of his way and sat on Kankuro's bed.

"Is something on your mind?" Kankuro asked sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Gaara realized Kankuro wasn't wearing a shirt.  
_Shit, there's that stupid fluttery feeling._ He thought.

"No. Hey, we didn't put up any Christmas lights. You want to?" Gaara said desperate to talk about something.

"Yeah, but not right now, I could use some coffee. Do we have any left?" Kankuro asked.

"Yes, I'll go fix you some." Gaara got up and made his way back through the hallway to the kitchen, he prepared two mugs and brought them back. He sat down facing Kankuro and handed him the cup.

"Arigatou." Kankuro said tiredly. The two sat quietly and drank their coffee. Gaara was trying his best not to stare at Kankuro's chest, so he focused his eyes on the coffee. Kankuro finished his and set it down on his old nightstand. He took a deep breath.

"How many cups have you had?" He asked Gaara. Gaara looked up for a moment catching the concern in his brother's eyes.

"Four." He said and continued drinking.

"It's gotten worse, hasn't it?" Kankuro asked. Gaara nodded. Kankuro was worried, when they were young, Gaara could sleep for at least six hours. If he had four cups of coffee and it was only, wait, what time was it? Kankuro looked at his old alarm clock. Two a.m. They had gone to bed at ten.

"Gaa-chan, what time did you wake up?" Kankuro asked.

Gaara snorted, "What time did I go to sleep?"

"Gaara! You haven't slept at all?" Kankuro moved closer, pulling Gaara's coffee out of his hand and setting it next to his own. The brunette wrapped his arms around Gaara's pale frame and squeezed. Gaara's heart pounded and images flashed through his head. Dirty ones, but he wasn't disgusted. He started blushing, _was he in **love**, with his **brother**?_  
_What kind of sick bastard am I?_ Gaara wondered as Kankuro's warmth pulled away. He looked away in disgust with himself.  
_That would explain it, all the fluttery feelings, the disappointment, the joy, contentment, and my inability to focus. How the hell did it happen?_ Gaara's head swam_. Kankuro had always been nice, caring, a bit of a bully but he was protective too._  
"Gaa-chan? Are you okay?"  
_Not to mention he was gone so long, what was that saying? Absence makes the heart grow fonder? I don't think it means the love would change. From family to romantic! I must be so sick, he can probably tell too. He hates me, just like Father._  
"Gaara! Gaara! What's wrong?" Kankuro pulled him into another embrace. Gaara's lids closed, his face buried in Kankuro's chest.  
"Gaara?" The redhead's breathing had slowed; Kankuro could see the minute movements of his brother's chest, which were in time with his own. It looked like Gaara had fallen asleep. Kankuro, out of fear of waking the quiescent boy, eased him into a reclined position. He deftly moved the blanket to cover the redhead. Too tired and too comfortable to move to the couch Kankuro lay down next to his brother. They use to share a bed when they were younger, usually after a rough night with father. Kankuro couldn't help but feel bitter towards the man, the police had stated that he wasn't abusive, but Kankuro knew better. Abuse disguised as discipline, not to mention the verbal abuse. Gaara had always taken a hostile stance, trying to make it look like it didn't affect him. It did, just in more dangerous ways, like his insomnia. Gaara shivered under his blanket and Kankuro pulled his bedspread over Gaara. The brunette rested his head and joined Gaara in a fitful sleep.

Gaara eyes blinked open, much to his surprise. He pushed himself up and looked around trying to take the edge off the bright light pouring through the window. He detected a light snoring next to him.

"Kan-kan-k-kuro!" Gaara stuttered comprehending that they had shared a bed.

"Did you sleep well?" Kankuro asked rolling over to face his younger brother.

"Yes, actually." Gaara replied.

"Ureshii." Kankuro smiled. The brunette got up and pulled out some clothes from his suitcase. Gaara left so Kankuro could change. _Am I really in love with him?_ Gaara peeked though the slightly ajar door. He caught Kankuro in his boxers. His nose bled a little. Gaara covered it with his hand.

_Yes._

Gaara went to his own room to change.

"Hey, Gaa-chan, want to help with the lights?" Karura asked.

"Okay." The redhead responded.

"Mom, I got the lights and the ladder, are we ready?" Kankuro asked.

"Un!" She smiled. The family went outside and started setting up the lights. Kankuro climbed up to the roof as Karura passed him the lights. The older boy hooked up the lights and plugged them into the correct sockets. Gaara was put in charge of the little light up trees that went on the lawn. They got them up with little trouble, Kankuro almost fell once, but that was it. The trio stepped back to look at their handiwork.

"Looks good!" Karura commented, the lights weren't even lit. Kankuro went to go turn them on. Even though it was bright the white lights contrasted with the sand colored house.

"See it looks good!" Karura said to her doubting sons. Gaara indulged her with a nod.

"Yeah, it doesn't look bad at all." Kankuro kept to himself that Konoha had much more festive decorations. Karura's smile widened.  
"It's hot out here." Kankuro yanked his hood off and ran his hand through his hair.

"We should go inside." Gaara said. The Kazes headed inside to cool off.

* * *

A few days later. 

Gaara sat staring at the illuminated tree. It was Christmas Eve, well Christmas actually but no one else was awake. Gaara was remembering all the Christmases he had; he was also trying to dissect the cause of the feelings Kankuro stirred.

_How? When? Why? What do I do?_ Gaara put his head in his hands, and pulled his blanket close. His thoughts hazily trailed to how warm Kankuro was. Gaara dragged himself from those thoughts before they turned into wild fantasies. His teal eyes stared at the lights on the tree. Even without insomnia he was pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to sleep these past few nights. At least when you loved a stranger you could tell yourself that he didn't care about you. Kankuro cared about him, loved him, but not the same way. Gaara's head was starting to hurt while ruminating the propinquity of their relationship.

"You still awake Gaa-chan?" Karura asked walking out of the room.

"Sono you desu ne." Gaara said bleakly. Karura softened and sat next to her son.

"Share the blanket." She said and snuggled under it. She wrapped her arm around him and played with his hair. Gaara rested his head in her chest as she sang a lullaby.

"I love you." Karura said. Kankuro walked into the room and eyed them. The phone rang and Kankuro went to get it.

"Moshi! Moshi!" he said.

"Hey Kankuro-kun, it's Temari."

"Merry Christmas! How are you?"

"I'm good and same to you. I just wanted to wish you guys that, let me talk to mom." She said. Kankuro brought the phone to Karura.

"Hi, honey!" she said and took the phone to her room.

"Merry Christmas Gaa-chan." Kankuro said cheerily.

"Merry Christmas." Gaara repeated.

"How long do you think they'll be on the phone?" Kankuro asked.

"Until uncle Yashamaru gets here."

"What time did he say he'd come?"

"One or so."

"What are we eating?" Kankuro asked.

"A western style dish. Ham."

"Oh. Sounds good." The brunette said. Karura walked out and hung up the phone.

"Are you ready to start cooking Gaa-chan?" She asked. Gaara nodded. Gaara moved to the kitchen and the two started cook. Kankuro alternated between watching them and watching T.V. Mom didn't have very many relatives, just her brother. Her parents had died a few years ago. Yashamaru was always with them for Christmas, but rarely saw them outside of that. He was very fond of Temari and Gaara, probably because they looked more like Karura. Kankuro looked like his father except bigger, now Yashamaru wasn't downright mean but Kankuro could tell he wasn't wanted. After hours of mindless T.V. the doorbell rang. Gaara and his mother were still in the kitchen.

"I'll get it." Kankuro said and opened to door.

"Hello Kankuro-kun." Yashamaru greeted. Kankuro smiled.

"Hello." He replied and allowed the effeminate man in.

"Karura-chan!"

"Yasha-chan!" the two raced to give each other a hug.

"Gaa-chan!" their uncle said and yanked Gaara into the hug. Kankuro felt a bit left out, but he didn't really want a hug.

"Merry Christmas!" Yashamaru said with a smile. Everyone nodded in acknowledgement. Yashamaru joined Kankuro on the couch.

"You've lost weight. How has the Konoha academy treating you?" Yashamaru asked.

"It's not bad, schoolwork is never fun though." Kankuro said.

"No." Yashamaru agreed.

"Dinner is ready!" Karura chirped. The family went to sit at the table.

"Itadakimasu!"

"It looks delicious sis." Their uncle said.

"Thank you, but Gaa-chan did a lot of it." Karura beamed. The relatives ate happily and in silence, no one was sure of what to say. Everyone helped clean up and then gathered on the floor to open gifts. Karura was elated to open the earrings her boys had given her. She gave them both a hug and a kiss as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Thank you." She said gladly. Kankuro felt very content.

"Gaa-chan, you haven't opened any yet." Yashamaru said and hand him a gift. Gaara read the label; Kankuro. He unwrapped it and pulled out a small cookbook.  
Kankuro looked sheepish and said, "I didn't have much money."

"Sh, I love it." Gaara said simply. Yashamaru opened up his gifts, then Kankuro. They had only gotten small things but that was all they wanted. Gaara prepared some coffee as it got later in the evening. He handed mugs to everyone then sat beside Kankuro nuzzling his chest. Hopefully Kankuro wouldn't notice how turned on he was beneath the blanket.

"Mmm, you make the best coffee, you know that?" Kankuro asked.

"Thank you." Gaara mumbled. He was starting to feel drowsy. Kankuro gazed down at him, Gaara's dark lids were closed, indicating that he was falling asleep. Karura smiled at them and ushered Kankuro to take Gaara to bed. The older teen picked up the now listless boy and carried him to bed. He set him down gently and covered him with a blanket. Kankuro feathered a kiss to his younger brother's forehead.

"Yoi yume o." the teen whispered and closed the door gently.

* * *

Fluff! WAFF! Beware! 

**Ureshii: **I'm glad  
**Un: **Yeah  
**Sono you desu ne: **Looks like it.  
**Yoi yume o: **Sweet dreams.

Thank you for reading! I am **_loving_** the reviews!


	6. Chapter 6

It's finally done. It took me so long to do this. Ggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrr. Whoa! I have 800 hits! Yay me! -dances-

Please enjoy and review.

* * *

"Hey, Kan-chan, you want to help me cook breakfast for mom?" Gaara asked the brunette sitting on the couch he ditched his hood for the day. 

"Sure." Kankuro answered and got up. "What are we making?"

"Just some western style food, I've been on a kick, it's called 'pancakes' it sounds funny." The redhead noted.

"It does." Kankuro laughed. Gaara had his brother pull out a separate pan and scramble some eggs while Gaara mixed the pancake batter. He really hoped he was doing it right. The pancakes cooked easy enough, as did the scrambled eggs. Gaara prepared a plate for Karura. He buttered the pancakes and sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on them. He handed the plate to Kankuro, who took it to Karura. He quietly opened the door.

"Hey mom, we made you some breakfast." Kankuro said and placed the trey in front of her. Karura stirred a bit, before waking up. She gave Kankuro a big hug and when Gaara snuck into the room she gave him a monster hug too.

"What do you say to all of us going to see a movie and then to a nice dinner?" She asked as she finished her last piece of pancake.

"Sounds like fun!" Kankuro cheered.

"What movie?" Gaara asked. Karura thought for a moment.

"Whatever's playing. Now, let me get dressed." She chased her sons out of the room. The boys walked to the living room a waited for their mother. She came out in a colorful dress that Yashamaru had given her for Christmas, and the earrings her sons had given her. She gave them a bright smile and urged them to get going. Kankuro called shotgun and sat in the front, leaving Gaara in the backseat. Karura dug around for her keys and then put them in the ignition, taking off for one of the few theaters in Sunaga. The trip was a quiet but happy one; it had been awhile since they had all done something together. Karura quickly found a parking space and parked the car. Kankuro held Gaara's door open in jest. The red-haired teen just shook his head.

"Hurry up!" Karura said and waved at them. The teens caught up with her. The walked into the shabby building and Karura handed Kankuro some money to buy tickets.

"Wait, which movie?" Kankuro asked.

"Cars." Karura answered.

"Cars?" Both boys asked. Karura nodded.

"Demo…"

"I haven't seen a kids movie in ages." She said wistfully. Kankuro sighed and took the money. Karura turned to Gaara.

"What should we get?" she asked.

"I can't believe we're watching a kid's movie." Kankuro grumbled. Karura had settled on a two drink, one tub of popcorn combo, which meant that Kankuro and Gaara had to share a drink. The three laughed at the horrible jokes, the odd sound effects, and at themselves for laughing so hard. At the end, where all the loose ends were being tied up, the Kazes left. Kankuro came out laughing jovially.

"I'm sorry I complained." He said as he played back the tractor-tipping scene, he continued laughing. The redhead nodded in agreement.

"See, I told you!" Karura cried. Kankuro took a last sip and offered it to Gaara, who promptly refused. The brunette casually tossed it. Gaara watched as Kankuro eyes closed and his mouth curved into a smile. Karura threw away her drink and popcorn as well and they stepped outside. The movie had been longer than they thought and it was now around three. They decided to go shopping at the mall again, mostly for clothes.

"Konoha is pretty cold isn't Kan-chan?" Karura said as she threw Gaara a sweater. It wasn't a very good one.

"Mom, don't buy that! He can have one of my sweaters until I can buy him another on in Konoha." Kankuro said.

"I don't think he wants hand-me downs." Karura turned up her nose.

"I don't mind." Gaara said. No one heard him though.

"I've worn it twice, tops." Kankuro defended.

"I still don't think Gaa-chan would want it." She said.

"I don't mind, really, I'd be happy to take Kan-chan's jacket." Gaara said louder.

"You don't?" Karura asked.

"No." Gaara said. Kankuro grinned and wrapped his arm around Gaara's shoulders tightly.

"Fine." Karura said, she moved on to the women's department.

"Is it really cold in Konoha?" Gaara asked.

"Yeah, it snows quite a bit." Kankuro said. Gaara sighed as they traipsed through out the department store.

"Taikutsushiteru." Kankuro yawned.

"Me too." Gaara agreed. Karura shopped for hours until the teens called her attention to the fact that their lunch was popcorn and they were hungry.

"All right let's go." She said and headed towards the parking lot. This time Kankuro let Gaara sit in the front. Karura drove slowly to an al fresco restaurant. They were seated quickly and given menus. A waitress came by and took their drink orders.

"Hm, I think I'll just have this." Karura decided. Kankuro had ordered quickly, as well as Gaara. The waitress, Natsumi, smiled and took the menus.

"Thanks." Kankuro said sweetly. Gaara glared once the woman had left. Karura did too.

"What?" Kankuro asked.

"No hitting on the waitress!" Karura whispered.

"Mom, it's the first girl I've talked to in ages!" he retorted.

"What about the women in Victoria's Secret?" Gaara asked. Kankuro blushed.

"Those don't count." Kankuro said nervously. His mother was livid.

"Kan-chan…" She said dangerously.

"Mom, it's no big deal," Kankuro scratched the back of his head.

"Why can't you be gay? They say it's genetic, Yasha-chan is gay." Karura said longingly.

"Mom! I don't want to be like Yashamaru!" he grunted.

"No! You'd be the seme!"

"Mom! I'm not gay!" Kankuro yelled. Karura frowned and crossed her arms. A few of the other patrons stared, and then returned to their meals. A different waitress gave them their drinks and hurried off. The air around the Kazes was tense.

"Mom, I can't help it. I just like women." He said. Karura sighed in defeat.

"It's okay, I'm sure you'll snap out of it." She said. Kankuro glared. Natsumi came back placing Karura and Gaara's food in front of them. She bent down to put down Kankuro's food.

"Your perfume smells nice." He said innocently in her ear. She blushed.

"Thank you." She said and almost ran back into the building.

_So Kankuro has this effect on a lot of people_. Gaara thought darkly. Karura glowered. She started eating savagely while Kankuro took small nervous bites. After a few minutes she cooled down and was fine. Natsumi walked by with some napkins and asked if they needed anything else. As she was leaving she winked at Kankuro and looked down at the napkins. Kankuro took the hint and grabbed them all one by one. He noticed writing on one but waited until Karura went to the bathroom. Gaara looked at him.

_You're cute, want to go out?_

_Xxx-xxxx _

"Score!" Kankuro said excitedly, but it didn't feel as good as it should have. Kankuro forgot to mask his frown as he wondered what was wrong with him. She was a cute blonde girl; he'd always liked the shy type. They were usually the most passionate and the biggest surprise. He liked knowing he was close to someone. Gaara looked concerned.

"She turned you down?" he asked, he hoped so, mean as that was.

"No." Kankuro replied feigning a smile.

_She's sexy but I'm not turned on. Why?_ Kankuro wondered. Karura came back to the table.

"Is something wrong Kan-chan?" his mother asked.

"He says he has a bit of a headache." Gaara lied. Kankuro nodded and shot Gaara a smile. The redhead fiddled with his napkin nervously. Karura ate her food happily, as her sons finished. Natsumi came back and asked if they wanted any dessert before they left.

"Kekkou desu." Karura answered. She dropped off the check and moved on.

"Well are we ready to go home?" she asked pleasantly.

"Yeah." Gaara replied. Kankuro nodded. Karura paid the check and the Kazes walked to their car. To be fair both boys sat in the back.

"I had a good time, it's so nice to be together again." Karura said dreamily.

"It is." Kankuro agreed. She stopped the car on the driveway and they all piled out. They walked through the front door and settled in the living room.

"I can't believe I only have a few more days until school starts back up." The brunette complained.

"Too short a break?" Karura yawned. Kankuro nodded in agreement.

"Gaa-chan will be starting up, isn't that exciting Gaa-chan?" Karura asked.

"Very." There was little enthusiasm in his voice.

"It'll be fine!" Karura comforted him.

"Yeah, it's not too bad, even though there are no girls." Kankuro assured. Karura shot her eldest son a mean glare.

"I'm so tired, I think I'm going to bed." Karura said and left.

"I am too, if you want to come in it's fine with me Gaa-chan." Kankuro stretched and walked into his bedroom. He pulled out the napkin Natsumi had given him. He pictured her in his mind. Nothing, he wasn't triggered at all. He contemplated for a moment, and then he ripped the napkin into tiny pieces and he threw them away. He just didn't hit it off with her.

_I'm just not quite use to women yet, that's all_, he thought tiredly and rested his head on his old pillow. He hoped Gaara slept well tonight. Kankuro pulled off his shirt and laid down, subsequently he fell asleep.

Gaara was not as lucky. His mind wondered how Kankuro felt about that waitress. He felt so jealous of her, he wanted Kankuro to charm him like that. He wanted Kankuro to look longingly at him. To have Kankuro undress him with his eyes. He wanted to listen to sweet nothings in his ear. To feel Kankuro's warm breath tickle his ear then race along his spine. He wanted to feel Kankuro's hands wrap around him. To have Kankuro physically undress him. He wanted Kankuro to comment on how he smelled. To have Kankuro say he smelled better than any woman. He closed his dark eyes and wished the flood of images would disappear. Gaara felt so disgusting but his mind continued to bombard him with selfish wants and desires.

_Why? Why? Why?_ Gaara asked his heart, _He's my brother, why him?_ His heart only continued to beat in his chest. He slowly opened his eyes. His debauched cravings faded. Gaara needed coffee. He already had his mug handy; this was going to be a long night.

* * *

I was stuck on this chapter for ages, and I don't think it turned out well. Ha, listen to me, like I ever write well! Eh, I'm still not too pleased with this one. The next will be better I hope. 

**Demo: **But  
**Taikutsushiteru: **I'm bored  
**Kekkou desu: **No thanks

Thank you for your time, and your reviews, I love them so.


	7. Chapter 7

Yeah 'nother chapter, this one was done rather quickly, maybe too quickly. This one one should be better than the last though!

Over 60 reviews! I was hoping for 50 by the end! Wow! Thank you so much!

I'm aiming for 100 by the end now!

* * *

Karura parked the car and the Kazes walked into the store. Their mother grabbed a cart quickly and she brought them to the liquor section. 

"These look good, and you can't have New Year's without sake!" She said as filled the cart up with alcoholic beverages.

"Mom? Are you sure we can drink all this?" Kankuro asked.

"You boys can't! You're still under twenty-one. I'll grab some sparkling cider for you two." She said grabbing every different type of drink there.

"Mom! It's New Year's! Please!" Kankuro begged.

"No! It's against the law! You will not consume ANY alcohol! None!" Karura said stubbornly.

"You're not going to be able to drink this!" Kankuro protested.

"He's right, it's not healthy." Gaara spoke up.

"Machigattemasu." She replied in a singsong voice. The redhead frowned.

"Mom!" both boys objected.

"Enough! I am your mother, I am an adult, and I can drink as much as I want. I'm not driving anywhere." She said and nodded her head authoritatively.

"It's not healthy." Gaara persisted.

"You're such a party pooper!" Karura said. The siblings were at a loss, they couldn't convince her not to drink. She rolled the cart filled with far too much booze to a check out line. A few people stared at the copious amounts of drinks. The cashier eyed the drinks.

"Ma'am, are you sure you want to buy all that?" he asked.

"I'm throwing a big party." Karura lied.

"Oh." He said and continued ringing up the drinks. Kankuro stared at his mother; there was no way she could drink all of that. They loaded up the car and drove back home. Kankuro was feeling very envious along the way.

* * *

Kankuro walked out of his room in his usual outfit, his cat hood placed squarely on his head. The brunette stared at his sleepless brother with concern. 

"Gaa-chan, why didn't you wake me up?" He asked.

"I didn't want to bother you."

"Baka ie! I told you, you were allowed to. " Kankuro said almost angrily, he sighed. Gaara drank his coffee avoiding his older brother's eyes.

"I'm fine." Gaara said his eyes trailing to the floor.

"You say that, but look at you."

"What good would it do me to wake you up!" Gaara said irately, smashing his cup on the counter, "You don't need to protect me anymore!" Gaara didn't know why he was saying this but he went with it and left the kitchen, slamming the door to his room.

"I'm your brother, I'll always need to protect you." Kankuro said quietly to himself and drank from Gaara's mug. Karura woke up and donned on her robe to see what was wrong.

"Kan-chan? What happened?" She asked inquisitively.

"He said he doesn't need me." Kankuro riposted numbly.

"Gaa-chan doesn't mean that! Let me go talk to him." Karura placed a hand on Kankuro's shoulder as she went to Gaara's room.

"It's New Year's and look at all this drama!" Karura said to herself. She knocked on Gaara's door. Their mother heard the redhead sobbing softly. The light-haired woman gently turned the knob.

"Gaa-chan, Gaa-chan, what's wrong?" she asked approaching her son. Gaara looked at his mother who was now sitting on his bed.

"I told Kankuro that I didn't need him, but I didn't mean it, I don't even know, god I'm so stupid, it was nothing!" Gaara said.

"Sh, baby, I know, it's been so long, everyone's just a bit tense. What did you say?" Karura asked while pulling Gaara close.

"I told him I didn't need him to protect me. He was just worried about my sleeping habits. I don't know what to say now." Gaara bit his lip.

"Gaa-chan, he's going to protect you no matter what. He's your brother, he loves you a lot. You can tell because he's hurting right now. This is just a little spat; it's easy to patch up. He knows deep down that you don't mean it. And you know deep down he'll forgive you." Karura said lovingly. Gaara swallowed.

"I wish I hadn't said it, it's so stupid!" The redhead said.

"Gaa-chan, all you need to do is explain how you feel. Kan-chan will love you." Karura said counseled. Gaara got up.

_It was a stupid fight, hardly a fight! He won't care._ Gaara thought. Kankuro still stood by the kitchen counter.

"Kan-chan?" Gaara said to get his attention. Kankuro looked hurt as he gazed into Gaara's warm eyes.

"Zannen desu." The redhead said penitently. "I didn't mean what I said, I…" Gaara halted as Kankuro pulled him close and kissed Gaara's forehead. His younger brother wished it was a different kind of love that compelled the kiss, but he buried his face in Kankuro's chest anyway.

"Forget it. Happy New Year's!" Kankuro said, as they broke apart. The phone rang and Karura picked up.

"Moshi moshi!" She said.

"Hey mom! Happy New Year's!" Temari said.

"Happy New Year's! Your father isn't letting you have any alcoholic beverages, is he?" Karura asked.

"No, he's not." Temari sighed.

"Good. What are you going to be doing?"

"Might go out for dinner and then see a show. What about you?"

"I'm going to drink profusely!" Karura responded.

"Don't hurt yourself."

"I won't! My kids are the biggest party poopers."

"Hey I wanted drinks!" Kankuro griped.

"All right. All my kids except Kan-chan." Kankuro nodded his head.

"I can't help it mom, I worry about you." Temari said with seriousness.

"Shinpai shinaide, I'll be just fine."

"Don't let Kan-chan drink any."

"I won't." Karura replied.

"Have a good time mom, I love you."

"I love you too. Have a wonderful time." Karura said and they hung up.

"Are we going to see fireworks?" Gaara asked.

"On T.V." His mother replied.

"What time?" Kankuro asked.

"They start at ten, I think." Karura answered.

* * *

"Bring on the booze!" Karura cheered and grabbed some from the cooler. They couldn't fit them all in the refrigerator. Kankuro glared from his spot on the couch. The boys each had a blanket, but Gaara had suggested that they shared theirs for more heat. Gaara liked being close to Kankuro, even though it made him so nervous. Karura returned with some Vodka and sat down. It was only nine thirty but they were doing a countdown of the funniest commercials. Karura took a long swig from her bottle. 

"Mom, please?" Kankuro asked.

"No." She said without looking at him. She downed some more and hiccupped. Gaara watched the screen intently. The commercials they chose were not funny.

"Kanpai!" Karura suddenly shrieked. She started giggling madly. Karura stood up to get some sake.

"Mother, you shouldn't drink so much." Gaara said. Karura flipped him the bird. The redhead stared in shock.

His. Mother. Flipped. Him. A. Bird. _Mother_. Kankuro laughed.

"She's drunk I wouldn't take it personally." The brunette said. Karura sat back down, she some how thought to bring the cooler.

"Mom, you shouldn't drink that much." Gaara said again. Karura knocked back a glass.

"I'll drink, whateveh I wanna drink." Her speech was slurred. She poured herself another glass of some type of beer. She drowned that glass too. Karura laughed insanely.

"We should stop her." Kankuro said.

"Yeah."

The brunette got up, Karura noticed.

"Don't touch me. I scream rape." She hiccupped loudly and pulled out another bottle.

"Mom, that's unhealthy." Kankuro said.

"What the _hheellll_ do you care?" she asked as she swallowed the beverage. She frowned when it ran out but pulled out another bottle. This one was wine. Kankuro tried to grab the bottle, but Karura held fast.

"Rape!" She said pathetically.

"Mom." Kankuro said firmly. Karura tugged the glass and chugged it.

"I _love _you. More beer!" Karura had a dopey grin on her face.

"No mom. Enough." Kankuro said trying to take away the new jug of beer without hurting her. She waved it in the air while pushing Kankuro away with her feet. Karura imbibed the burning liquid. Suddenly she was asleep. Her legs slumped to the floor and her drink rested against her chest. Kankuro gently pried it from her hands. He set it down on the floor and lifted his mother from the chair. She murmured slightly but didn't wake up. Kankuro walked into her room and set her down on the bed.

"Goodnight." He said. He walked back to the living room. He eyed the cooler mischievously.

"Kankuro, Mou yamete." Gaara ordered.

"Come on," Kankuro said.

"Don't." Gaara said.

"Why not?"

"Because you'll get drunk."

"That's the point." Kankuro laughed, he stopped when he noticed how serious his brother was.

"Please, just don't." Gaara said.

"Fine, fine." Kankuro grumbled and crawled back under the sheets.

"Thanks." Gaara said his eyes focused on the television. The fireworks were just starting. The night got colder and Gaara was almost sitting in Kankuro's lap. He felt happy, right here so close to Kankuro. Gaara couldn't find the will to care how he fell in love with his older brother. He just accepted it.

"Kan-chan?" Gaara asked.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier." He said.

"Relax. It's fine." Kankuro said.

"I don't even know why I said it." Gaara continued.

"Look," Kankuro tilted Gaara's chin up to face him, "We all say things we don't mean." Gaara blushed darkly.

"You get embarrassed easily don't you?" Kankuro asked. Gaara turned to face the T.V. They watched in silence for most of the fireworks. Gaara had fixed them somehot chocolateas it got later. Kankuro was very appreciative. The brothers sat wrapped up in blankets, with coffee mugs in their hands, and sitting very close together. As midnight got closer the announcer kept saying to grab your lover for a New Year's kiss. Kankuro frowned but didn't say anything. It started showing clips from other countries.

"Look Konoha!" Gaara said. It was snowing lightly making the fireworks even more dazzling. Gaara smiled.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Kankuro murmured softly in his ear. Gaara shivered.

"Yes, it is." He replied. The New Year's special showed Sunaga, which was nowhere near as spectacular. It returned to the announcer who once again mentioned for everyone to be ready for his or her New Year's kiss.

"How annoying." Kankuro complained

"What?" the redhead asked.

"The whole 'New Year's kiss' thing. They make such a huge deal out of it." He replied.

"So?"

"I've never had one, and they keep talking about it as if it's really important." Kankuro groused.

"I haven't either." Gaara said and continued watching. They were showing more displays of pyrotechnics, they seemed to be focusing on Konoha. Not a surprise really, Konoha was pretty big.

"Grab your love ones and keep them close you do not want to miss your New Year's kiss. There are only five minutes left." The announcer droned. Kankuro snorted.

"They do make a huge deal." Gaara commented.

"Yeah I told you." Kankuro said. The station took a commercial break, it showed a few that were on the countdown. The announcer returned repeating his message with even more force. Gaara laughed.

"It's so ridiculous." He said. Kankuro nodded in agreement. The cameras were now paying attention to the main event, the big Konoha finale.

"Please be ready to give a New Year's kiss everyone!" he said. Kankuro shook his head. An idea hit Gaara and his heart started pounding.

"_Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two…"_

Gaara closed his eyes and gripped Kankuro's shirt. He gently pushed his lips against his brother's. It was a very gentle, timid, and unsure kiss. Kankuro stared at Gaara completely stunned. Gaara quickly pushed himself away.

"Now you've had a New Year's kiss." Gaara said. Kankuro started laughing.

"Good one! You sure as hell scared me!" The brunette said. He thought it a joke.

Gaara forced a chuckle, "Yeah, I had you for minute, didn't I?" the redhead tried to mask his hurt. Kankuro nodded.

"Happy New Year Gaa-chan, I'm going to bed." Kankuro yawned noisily and walked to his room.

"Goodnight." Gaara said half-heartedly. He made sure Kankuro had gone to bed and then grabbed a bottle of Vodka.

"I hate Mondays." Gaara said to himself and drank the alcohol.

* * *

Poor Gaara. Stupid dense Kankuro. He's not going to figure it out for a while. I'm thinking about getting rid of the japanese, what are everyone's thoughts? 

Happy New Year's, wait...It's not New Year's...hm...

**Machigattemasu: **You're wrong  
**Baka ie:** Nonsense  
**Zannen desu:** I'm sorry  
**Shinpai shinaide: **Don't worry  
**Kanpai: **Bottoms up  
**Mou yamete: **Stop that.

Hope you all enjoyed! I love your reviews!


	8. Chapter 8

I miss Sakon and Ukon. I do. It's very odd. It feels like I left my babies all by themselves. The good news is they'll be back soon! This chapter is a bit short, sorry.

And oh no! School has started for me! Ack! Updates _**should**_ continue to be weekly, but I might I have to do one every two weeks if school gets bad. Thank goodness for pre-written chapters! (if you wish to know how my day was; it SUCKED!)

I hope you all enjoy.

* * *

Karura moaned in agony while lying on her bed. She felt awful. Gaara walked into the room with a bottle of aspirin and a glass of water. He quietly set them down on her dresser. 

"I told you not to drink so much." The redhead whispered. His own hangover had been soothed by caffeine. Karura moaned to tell her son to be quiet. He gently kissed her forehead and left. Gaara spotted Kankuro trying to drink a Budweiser.

"You're not trying to drink that, are you?" Gaara crossed his arms. Kankuro scowled and put the cap back on.

"No." he lied. The siblings had been cleaning the room until they heard their mother suffering with a hangover. The brunette put the bottle into the cooler. Gaara threw away all the empty ones. Kankuro was now scrubbing the carpet.

"You don't even want to try a drink?" Kankuro asked.

"No. I can wait until I'm twenty-one." Gaara misrepresented. Kankuro rolled the cooler to the kitchen.

"That's everything." Kankuro said. The boys heard Karura groan loudly. Kankuro grabbed a cup of coffee and walked to the master bedroom. He noticed a few pills missing from the container.

"I brought some coffee." He said softly and set it down next to the water. Karura nodded and groaned. The brunette left the room.

"We need to take the lights down." Gaara said.

"We'll get to that later." Kankuro said and flopped on the couch. "Sit down."

"Fine." Gaara said and sat down next to his brother. Kankuro didn't wonder why they sat closer than most brothers he just let it happen. After finding nothing on T.V Gaara once again suggested they take down the lights.

"All right. All right." Kankuro said and got up. The brunette went to get the ladder and Gaara waited outside. Kankuro set the ladder up and climbed it. He started unplugging the lights and started tossing them down. Every once in a while Kankuro would feel eyes watching him. He looked down at Gaara, who immediately looked away.

_Gaa-chan's been acting funny. Did I do something? _Kankuro wondered. He mentally shrugged his shoulders and continued.

Gaara unplugged the light up trees and dismantled them. His eyes strayed to Kankuro, thoroughly checking his brother out.

_Stop. Stop._ _Stop it!_ Gaara thought as he stared at the ground. He gulped and returned to putting up the lawn decorations. After Gaara finished he started winding the hanging lights that Kankuro dropped. Gaara wasn't very far when Kankuro returned, somewhat sweaty from being up on the roof. His brother took his shirt off and sat on the ground. He gestured for Gaara to hand him some lights too. The redhead obliged and tried to keep his gaze set on the little white bulbs.

"Did you get them all?" Gaara asked.

"Yeah. How do you think mom's doing?" Kankuro asked.

"She probably feels awful. That's why I didn't want you drinking." Gaara said.

"Okay then, I didn't drink. We did warn her though."

"We did. It's almost noon, do you want to eat when we're done?" the redhead asked.

"Sure!" Kankuro replied.

"Good. We're almost done." Gaara said. Kankuro took the wound up lights, the ladder and put them away.

"I'm going to start cooking." Gaara said and went into the kitchen. Kankuro finished putting away the decorations.

"Want me to help?" Kankuro asked, he had taken the home ec class so he knew the basics. Karura moaned loudly.

"Nope, go help mom." Gaara said, he tied his apron around his waist. Kankuro did as he was told.

"Mom, do you need something?" the brunette asked.

"More water." She wheezed. Kankuro nodded and walked into the kitchen.

"Mm, Tempura Donburi." Kankuro said and grabbed a glass. He filled it with water and walked back to his mother's room.

"Thanks." She said. Kankuro left the room and sat at the counter. Gaara was covering the ingredients with the Tempura batter. Kankuro rested his head on his hand and watched. A smile adorned his face. He liked watching Gaara's slender fingers preparing a meal. Gaara's apron was a little girly; it was probably Karura's. It had a little swish to it as the redhead moved about.

"So, what's Konoha Sarutobi Academy like?" Gaara asked pulling Kankuro out of his reverie.

"They give quite a bit of homework but it's easy. The teachers are pretty laid back, believe it or not. Still fun to tick them off."

"How are the dormitories?"

"Small! Your bed is set up by the way. We'll have to share the bathroom, of course." Kankuro said. Gaara set the bowl of rice in front of Kankuro. He placed his in front of the seat next to Kankuro. Gaara untied the almost feminine apron and put it aside.

"Itadakimasu."

"Is the work difficult?" Gaara asked while chewing thoughtfully.

"Depends on who you get, but once you get use to the pace it's easy. You'll have no trouble." Kankuro encouraged him. The brunette happily ate his Tempura. Gaara couldn't keep his eyes off. He shouldn't have kissed him. Kankuro didn't even kiss back and he wanted more. Gaara silently debated with himself.

_I can't tell him. _He decided. Gaara didn't want to risk it. His head was starting to hurt.

"Are there a lot of gay guys?" The redhead asked. He kept his gaze on the now empty bowl.

"There are a few, are you gay?" Kankuro asked looking down at Gaara. Gaara blushed darkly.

"So you are! There's nothing wrong with it, so don't be embarrassed." Kankuro patted Gaara's shoulder.

"You make it sound like something awful." Gaara quipped.

"I don't mean to, I'm just not gay. And I'm proud of the way I am, not to belittle homosexuals." Kankuro replied.

"Ever picked up a chick?" Gaara asked. Kankuro stared, that sounded really odd coming from his little brother.

"Yeah." He answered uncertainly. Gaara shook his head.

"Ever picked up a chick and gone out with her?" He rephrased. Gaara proceeded to get up and take the bowls. Kankuro stared blankly at where Gaara had been sitting. He mentally tallied all the girls he hit on. The answer to Gaara's question was odd. He, Kaze Kankuro, had not gone out with a single girl in his sixteen years of existence. The scary part, that made Kankuro reevaluate himself, was that he had turned them all down. Every single one.

* * *

Looks like Gaara hit the nail on the head! I thought this was a nice place to cut off. Again sorry it's short! 

Thank you for reading. Thank you for reviewing. I love hearing from you all, even if it's just 'great work' or 'update soon'. It really means a lot.


	9. Chapter 9

Yay! This is the longest fic I've ever had! (My other stories have been taken down). It also has the most reviews. Yeah!

I AM SO SORRY IT'S LATE! Stupid school. Stupid me for taking advanced classes. Ha ha, they can't be that advanced if I'm in them.  
Someone said this story had plot, HA HA HA, there is no plot here! It's pretty much them going through school, and their relationship changing. No plot here! Har, har. OMG I have 91 reviews! You guys ROCK!

Please enjoy!

* * *

Kankuro grabbed his freshly laundered clothes and placed them in his bag. He and Gaara would leave bright and early the next morning, so they were packing now. Kankuro wouldn't admit it but he missed Sakon and Ukon. He wondered what had become of Itachi and Sasuke. He also wondered why he turned down all those girls. There was no way he was homosexual, no chance. He sighed to himself and continued packing his things. He wasn't attracted to boys. He like girls! Kankuro was getting more and more annoyed about it. Finally he decided to forget about it. He liked girls. That was all that was important. Kankuro finished the rest swiftly. 

Gaara was having a little more trouble packing. For one his suitcase was too small. He tried to sit on it but that didn't work he was too light. The redhead frowned at the brown bag. Maybe he'd have to leave some things behind. He hopped off and stared at it.

"Having trouble?" Kankuro popped in startling Gaara.

"My suitcase is too small." Gaara said flatly. Kankuro looked it over.

"Sit on it." He said. Gaara shot him a look.

"I tried that." He said annoyed.

"Just sit on it." Kankuro replied exasperated. Gaara did so, and then Kankuro sat down with him. Their backs touched, and Gaara bit his lip. Kankuro ensued with zipping the luggage. His hands rested between Gaara's legs a moment causing the redhead's nose to bleed ever so slightly. Kankuro was now leaning across his brother's lap, and Gaara was begging for his hormones to wait just a while longer. Kankuro gave a victorious smirk as he finished. Gaara got up quickly.

"I have to take a shower!" He mumbled. Kankuro shrugged and got up.

* * *

Gaara was awake and drinking coffee when Karura entered the room. 

"Anxious?" She asked.

"A little." Gaara admitted as he finished the cup.

"Go make sure Kan-chan is awake please." She asked. Gaara nodded and left. He quietly opened the door and snuck into Kankuro's room to wake him up, he was surprised to find the brunette already awake. He was reading some book.

"Mom asked me to wake you up." Gaara said. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yep." Kankuro said sliding the book back into his bag. He got up and walked with Gaara into the living room. Karura gave him a big hug.

"Everyone ready?" She asked. Gaara nodded along with Kankuro. Kankuro grabbed his things and took Gaara's as well. Karura grabbed the keys and walked out with them.

"Mom, don't you have work?" Kankuro asked.

"I took a few hours off. Don't worry about it. Now put your stuff in!" she said. Kankuro obeyed.

"You have your tickets?" She asked.

"Right here." Gaara said and raised them into the air.

"Good. Let's get going." She said. The boys crawled into the back and Karura started the car.

"I'm going to miss you so much." Karura said.

"We're going to miss you too." Kankuro said. She smiled at her sons.

"You have a good time, and don't do anything stupid!" She said.

"We won't. I'll make sure." Gaara said.

"No sex with girls." She added. Kankuro made a face and Gaara just laughed. Kankuro stared out the window.

"I'm going to miss Sunaga, I always do." He said.

"Do you ever miss Konoha?" Gaara asked.

"A little. It's a nice place after all." He replied.

"Maybe I'll come down and visit you there." Karura said.

"You should, the hot springs aren't as good, but everything else is great." Kankuro said.

"Look! Here we are!" Karura said, she parked the car in a garage and walked to the airport with her sons. Gaara looked at the tickets.

"We're supposed to go to gate A3." The redhead informed them.

"Which way?" Their mother asked. Gaara looked at the signs.

"That way." Kankuro said once he spotted the sign. Security wouldn't let Karura enter so they had to say goodbye sooner than they thought.

"I love you both, I'll miss you." She said and hugged them tightly.

"We're going to miss you too." They said. Karura had tears in her eyes and quickly kissed them on their cheeks. They waved and went to get their bags checked.

"Come back gay!" Karura said. Her kids blushed very darkly. A few of the others in line laughed. Unlike the Konoha airport, Sunaga had to hand check the luggage so it took even longer to get through. They luckily left Gaara's bag alone. They wondered around a bit before finding the gate. They still had time to spare when they sat down.

"You want the window seat?" Kankuro asked.

"Yeah, if you don't mind." Gaara said.

"Of course I don't." Kankuro smiled. The brunette noticed familiar red hair.

"Sasori-sensei!" he said and waved. The man smiled and walked over.

"Who's this, Kankuro-kun?" he asked.

"I'm Gaara. I'm his brother." The teen answered.

"Ah, I am a teacher at KSA." Sasori introduced himself.

"How was your grandmother?" Kankuro asked.

"She's doing very well. I trust you had a good time." Sasori said. Kankuro nodded.

"Will you be attending KSA as well?" he asked Gaara.

"Yes." Gaara replied.

"_All first class passengers may board the plane."_

Sasori smiled, "I'll see you."

The siblings waited a few more minutes and then they embarked on the plane as well. They took a few minutes to find their seats and Kankuro threw his and Gaara's things into the overhead compartment. Gaara climbed into the seats and buckled his seat belt.

"Comfy?" Kankuro asked sarcastically.

"Oh yes," Gaara retorted. The seats were just as uncomfortable the last time. Kankuro sat down next to Gaara and fastened his seat belt as well. The pilot announced that they would be taking off soon and that their trays should be upright. Kankuro handed Gaara a stick of gum, who took it gratefully. Their ears still popped but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

"_You may now move about the plane."_ The intercom crackled. Gaara unfastened the belt and turned to look out the window.

"It's amazing isn't it?" Kankuro asked. Gaara swallowed.

"Yeah." He agreed.

"Mister funny hat!" A child's voice rang.

"Oh god no!" Kankuro said and sunk down in his seat. Gaara laughed.

"You're sitting with a boy! Are you on a date? My daddy says it's okay for boys to go out! Are you in love?" Hiro ranted. Gaara felt his cheeks redden.

"We're brothers!" Kankuro said. Hiro scrunched up his nose.

"You don't look like it!" he said. A man came down the aisle and sat next to the little boy.

"Please be quiet." He said. He turned to face Kankuro, "I am so sorry sir."

"No problem." Kankuro said. The man started reprimanding Hiro. A flight attendant walked by and offered the brothers a traditional breakfast. They pulled out their trays and ate quietly.

"Not as good as yours." Kankuro said.

"I would hope. This is airline food." Gaara joked. Kankuro smiled.

"You have your schedule, don't you?" Kankuro asked once he finished eating.

"Yeah." Gaara replied. Kankuro nodded. He grabbed the headphones and put them on so he could watch T.V. Not too long after and the brunette got sick of it. He turned it off and pulled out the book he had earlier. He became uncomfortable and lifted the armrest up.

Gaara was content with staring out the window. The landscape was so different. Someone walked by and asked to throw away their trash. Gaara sighed somnolently. Kankuro noticed.

"If you're tired, take a nap." He said, most of his attention on his book. Gaara leaned back in his chair and tried to fall asleep. He did and after the plane jostled a bit, his head rested on Kankuro's lap. Soon after, Gaara's hands clutched Kankuro's leg and he whispered a faint 'I love you'. Kankuro smiled and absently stroked Gaara's soft hair.

An airline employee noticed the two, and decided not to bother the sleeping duo as she served the lunch. Kankuro's eyes fluttered open once the pilot made the announcement that they were landing. He gently nudged Gaara awake. The teen blushed and apologized profusely for falling asleep on him.

"Relax!" Kankuro said as the plane descended. The passengers disembarked quickly with their things. The siblings walked out into Konoha and summoned a Taxi.

* * *

A bit choppy but oh well. 

Thanks for stopping by!


	10. Chapter 10

This chapter came together quickly so don't yell at me if it's lame and filler-y.

**_OMG I HAVE 100 REVIEWS_**! I wish I could give you a better chapter... I promise chapter 12 will be a good one. 11 is more filler-y crap. Chapters will now bw posted every other Friday. Enjoy.

* * *

The brothers put their things in the trunk and then slipped into the back seat. 

"Where to?" The woman asked.

"The KSA dormitories." Kankuro handed the lady a piece of paper with the directions on it. They drove in silence. This woman wasn't as friendly as the man had been. She arrived at the building and charged them. Kankuro went to pull out their things and walked up to the dormitory.

"We'll need to stop at the office to get you a key and whatnot." Kankuro said.

"All right." Gaara said.

"Could you get the door?"

"Oh!" Gaara gasped and held the door open. They walked in the building and Kankuro guided Gaara to the front desk area. Kankuro set the bags down on the floor and caught the employee's attention.

"I'm here about Kaze Gaara's room." The brunette said.

"Okay. Dorm 109, here you go." He said and handed Gaara a key.

"This way." Kankuro said picking up their bags and leading the way. Gaara followed closely behind. They stopped at their dorm; Gaara stuck the key in and unlocked it.

"Thanks for hauling my bags." Gaara said.

"No problem. Now let's unpack!" the brunette replied. He unzipped his bag and so did Gaara. The redhead's bag flung open scattering a few of his clothes. Kankuro laughed as Gaara scrambled to pick them up again.

"Where can I put these?" he asked.

"In the drawers next to your bed." Kankuro replied. "They'll give you your uniform tomorrow."

"Okay." Kankuro walked to the closet behind Gaara and tossed the redhead a heavy sweater.

"Arigatou." Gaara smiled. It smelled like Kankuro. The brunette continued unpacking.

"So, did you get your home economics class?"

"Yeah."

"Are you looking forward to it?"

"Of course! Now that's it's gotten a new chef." Gaara said excitedly. He placed his clothes in one of the drawers. Kankuro did the same with his.

A gray blur tackle hugged Kankuro. The tall brunette boy was knocked off his feet with a very happy Ukon on top of him.

"Kuro-kun! I missed you!" He said and nuzzled Kankuro.

"Get off!" Kankuro yelled. Sakon stood in the doorway.

"May we come in?" he asked.

"A little late, dontcha think?" Kankuro said trying to pry Ukon loose. Sakon walked in and spotted Gaara who was staring wide-eyed at Ukon.

"You must be Gaa-chan. I'm Sakon," He said and shook Gaara's hand. Ukon hopped off of Kankuro and bounced over to Gaara.

"You're even cuter in person!" Ukon squealed and tried to hug him. Kankuro had moved Gaara out of the way.

"Don't touch him." He said. Ukon crossed his arms. Sakon patted his twin on the shoulder.

"We'll just molest Kuro-kun." He told him.

"Guys, don't do that!" Kankuro protested.

"Kan-chan, are these friends of yours?" Gaara asked. Sakon and Ukon gaped.

"That is so adorable! Kan-chan!" Ukon said.

"Oh shit." Kankuro smacked his forehead. Gaara grimaced.

"We missed you! And so did Itachi-kun!" Ukon said again and hugged Kankuro.

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too." Kankuro said acerbically. The twins grinned sadistically and Kankuro gulped.

"Um…uh…what are you planning to…do?" The brunette asked.

"Nothing my love." They said in twin fashion.

They pushed him on the bed. Kankuro struggled but it was two against one.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Gaara said.

"Ukon-kun, Sakon-kun, there will be no raping Kankuro," Itachi said. Kankuro looked relieved.

"Than-"

"Without me!" Itachi said brightly.

"Ack no!" Kankuro screamed as the three tackled him. They only tickled him though.

"…Stop…I… Can't… Breathe…" Kankuro wheezed once they got off.

"What a sexy pant! I'm ready to go again!" Ukon laughed as they sat up on the bed. Gaara glared.

"Are you okay?" Sakon asked, eyeing the redhead nervously. Kankuro sat up curiously.

"Gaa-chan?"

"I'm fine. It's just I'd like to finish packing in peace." Gaara lied.

"Oh. Sorry. We just haven't seen _Kan-chan_ in so long." Ukon said and hugged him once more. Kankuro glared. The three quickly got off the bed and left.

"It was beautiful!" Ukon yelled for everyone to hear and take out of context. The group chuckled and closed the door.

"Tch. What idiots. Are you okay?" Kankuro asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Gaara answered. "Are you okay?"

"You get use to that kind of treatment." Kankuro grinned. They finished unpacking and then they ate a quiet dinner.

* * *

Kankuro's alarm clock blared loudly effectively waking him up. He turned the nuisance off. 

"You want some coffee?" Gaara asked.

"No. I have to get dressed." The brunette replied groggily. He walked to the closet and pulled out a uniform. He took it with him into the bathroom. He quickly applied the face paint that itched a bit, because he hadn't worn it lately. He walked out of the bathroom and grabbed his bag.

"We ready?" Kankuro asked. Gaara grabbed his own bag.

"Yeah." They walked out the door. Before they left the building Sakon and Ukon caught up. The twins wrapped their arms around Kankuro.

"Getting to class early I see!" Ukon said.

"I'm showing Gaa-chan where to go." Kankuro answered.

"Are you? And is that _all_ your going to do?" Sakon asked in a low voice.

"Don't start!" Kankuro warned. Gaara gazed at them confused.

"Aw!" Ukon said and glomped Gaara. The redhead would have jumped had he not been held so tightly.

"Hey! Get off!" Kankuro said and removed Ukon. Gaara shivered, it was cold in Konoha.

"You forgot the sweater I gave you. I'll go back and get it." Kankuro didn't mind leaving him with the twins. He knew they wouldn't actually do anything to Gaara. Ukon turned to Gaara.

"So, you must see your brother without his face paintand hood a lot right?" he asked dangerously.

"Yes. Why?" Gaara answered unsure.

"He's hot!"

"Ukon-kun." Sakon said in warning.

"Feeling jealous? Sorry." Ukon retorted. Sakon shook his head. Ukon leaned down into Gaara's ear.

"So does he ever, _touch_ you? Do your lips ever meet in the dark? Do his hands send tremors across your skin." He asked low and seductive. Gaara whimpered almost longingly. Sakon blinked in confusion. Ukon stood up straight as Kankuro returned. He frowned when he saw how shaken up Gaara looked.

"What the hell did you do?" Kankuro snarled. He handed Gaara the jacket. The twins gaped.

"It's just really cold." The redhead said hastily. His eyes begged them not to tell. Sakon finally caught on, he keep quiet though. Kankuro scowled.

"They didn't do anything did they?" The brunette asked. He was pretty sure they wouldn't do anything outside of tease.

"We'd never touch your property!" Ukon blurted. Kankuro glared.

"If you scrunch your face up too much, it'll get stuck." Sakon said.

"There is no talking to you people." Kankuro said finally and they continued to school. He was going to be late if he dropped Gaara off. The four walked through the school corridors and dropped Gaara off at his science class.

"I might be able to meet up with you later, but I doubt it. Good luck!" Kankuro said and rushed to his homeroom class, Sakon and Ukon in tow.

* * *

Lunch B 

Sakon walked with Gaara to lunch. He wanted to know if his hunch was correct.

"So, Gaara-kun, do you like him?" Sakon asked once they were seated. Unfortunately, Ukon had A lunch so the twins didn't eat together.

"Like who?" Gaara asked. This wasn't something he wanted to talk about with anyone. Sakon gave him a look.

"You want me to say his name?" he asked. Gaara blushed, Sakon didn't need an answer.

"So you do like him." Sakon said eating slowly. Gaara couldn't touch his food now.

"You must think I'm disgusting." Gaara mumbled.

"No. Familiar with the sayings, 'Love is blind' and 'Pleasure is pleasure,'" Sakon asked. Gaara blinked his dark lids.

"You don't care?" Gaara asked.

"I do." Sakon said simply.

"Oh." Gaara fiddled with his chopsticks.

"I care because you're both my friends, and I want to see it happen." Sakon explained. Gaara looked up at him and smiled.

"You should eat." Sakon advised.

* * *

Go Sakon! -clears throat- What? I can cheer for him if I want! 

Thank you for your time and reviews.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 is finally done. I was stuck on this for _sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssoooooooooooooooooooooooooo_ long. Luckily the other chapters moved along quickly!

* * *

"Kaze Gaara, Aburame Shino, I would like to speak with both after class." The math instructor said. Fellow students snickered as they left for their dormitories. 

"Gaara-san, your grades are slipping, it might be because you came in from a public school." Iruka-sensei said.

"Just say because I'm from Sunaga." Gaara said mordantly.

"I want, you, Shino-san, to help him." Iruka said, trying to avoid an uncomfortable situation.

The silent boy nodded and then adjusted his sunglasses. Iruka turned to Gaara.

"Is that all right?" he asked the redhead.

"Yes, it's fine."

"Dismissed." Iruka-sensei said and let them leave.

"So, who's dorm do we study in?" Gaara asked. The other teen shrugged.

"Would yours be okay?"

"I suppose." Shino said.

"All right. Would tomorrow be good?" The redhead asked. Shino nodded.

"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow." Gaara said and turned left to get to his dorm room. He knocked on the door and Kankuro let him in.

"Hello honey how was your day?" Ukon teased. Gaara gave an amused smirk and sat on his bed. Kankuro plopped down next to him because Sakon and Ukon were sitting on his. They always seemed to be over.

"Iruka-sensei said my math is slipping so he got Shino-san to teach me."

"Isn't that Kiba-kun's roommate?" Ukon asked.

"That guy with the sunglasses and bugs? Yeah that's Kiba-kun's roommate." Sakon said.

"When?" Kankuro asked.

"I go to study in his dorm tomorrow." He answered.

"Have fun with that." Kankuro said. Sakon and Ukon left to eat dinner at around five. The Kazes just had some instant ramen.

* * *

The redhead had his math books in hand as he followed Shino to his dorm. The dark-haired boy was so silent on the way; Gaara wondered how Kiba could stand it. Shino's dorm was on the third floor, number 256. Once the duo reached the correct floor there was a loud crash. Gaara watched Shino massage his temples. 

"Akamaru!" They heard Kiba yell as a puppy ran into view. Shino caught him swiftly, tucking the struggling dog under his arm. Kiba grinned sheepishly once he spotted the Aburame.

"Inuzuka! Keep your dog under control." He demanded as he handed the white puppy to Kiba. The brunette rolled his eyes.

"Hey Gaara-kun!" Kiba greeted and they walked to the dorm. Kiba shut the door and put Akamaru down. Gaara looked around at the room, he could pick out the difference immediately. Kiba's side was a horrible mess, with the bed unmade and trash everywhere. The walls were covered in posters. Shino's side was incredibly clean and plain. He did have several tanks filled with bugs though. Gaara eyed them nervously.

"Are those, um, poisonous?" The redhead asked as he set his books on the desk.

"No," Shino said and Gaara sighed with relief. "The poisonous ones are at home, with my father." Gaara twitched. Shino set his stuff down as well.

"Shall we get started?" he asked.

* * *

Kankuro's Dorm 

--

"Gaara's birthday is coming up. I want to plan the party." Kankuro said leaning against the small counter provided by the school. Sakon and Ukon nodded dutifully from the bed.

"Who's coming?" Ukon asked.

"You guys, Kiba-kun, Itachi-kun, Sasuke-kun, maybe Shino-kun if they hit it off. Does Gaara know anyone else?" Kankuro asked.

"Not that I know of." Sakon said.

"Oh! What kind of cake?" Ukon asked.

"Yellow. With vanilla icing." Kankuro said.

"Gaara likes plain cake?" Ukon half-whined.

"Yes! If you want something else, bring it yourself." Kankuro replied.

"Let's go to the mall for decorations! And gifts!" the more energetic twin cheered.

"Gaa-chan has to get a new jacket anyway." Kankuro said.

"Are we throwing it here?" Sakon asked. The brunette nodded.

"We need ice cream!" Ukon cried out.

"All right. Can you guys hold all that stuff, I want it to be a surprise."

"We'll get it, don't worry." Sakon said.

"What games?" Ukon asked. Kankuro realized he hadn't thought of everything yet. Good thing he had a week to plan the party.

"A piñata would be too messy, and is kind of childish." Kankuro was thinking out loud.

"Pin the tail on the donkey!"

"That's even worse Ukon-kun." Kankuro said and eyed his gray-haired friend.

"DDR!"

"We can't get that…" Sakon said.

"Apples to Apples!"

"Yes!" Sakon agreed, "We'll bring it over."

"Apples to Apples?" Kankuro asked. Sakon and Ukon gasped.

"You've never heard of Apples to Apples?" Ukon asked.

"No. What is it?"

"Only the best game in the world! We'll bring it and teach you all how to play." Ukon said excitedly.

"Okay, what else?" Kankuro asked.

"How will we set up?" Sakon asked.

"We'll have to ask Shino-kun to tutor him that day."

"We'll get Kiba to ask. I don't have any classes with Shino-kun." Sakon stated.

"Sounds good." Kankuro said. It was getting late. "Are you hungry?"

"A little, but we can eat at home." Sakon said.

"No, it's fine, you guys can eat here. Although we only have some instant ramen." Kankuro said as he rummaged around for food.

"Thank you!" Ukon yelled as he got up and glomped the brunette. He nestled his face on Kankuro back.

"Ukon-kun, get off." The teenager demanded. Sakon remembered Gaara's feelings and decided to plant some ideas. It was technique that worked fairly well. Get someone use to the idea, to the point that they support it, and see where it goes.

"It's good that you're not _cheating _on Gaara-kun." Sakon said offhandedly. Ukon let go and gave his twin a questioning look.

"Don't start that again." Kankuro groaned.

"Don't start what? You're the one who is in love with Gaara-kun." Ukon said, still confused but hiding it.

"I'm not _in_ love with him! He's my brother!" Kankuro said as he prepared the ramen.

"You've never thought about ravishing him?" Sakon asked standing across from the brunette now.

"No!"

Ukon stood behind him and slipped his hands into the taller boy's shirt, he then started rubbing Kankuro's stomach.

"You've never touched him?" Ukon asked seductively in his ear.

"NO! Get off! I'm not gay!" Kankuro shouted. Ukon let go and walked over to his brother.

"So, if you were gay, you would do your brother?"

"No."

"Is it wrong to love siblings that way?" Sakon asked.

"No-yea, fuck! I don't know!"

"I think pleasure is pleasure doesn't matter who." Ukon said.

"I'm straight, completely straight. No two ways about it." Kankuro said.

"I doubt it." Sakon said. Kankuro glared. He handed the twins their ramen and they ate.

"Well, we better get back." Ukon said sadly. Kankuro walked them to the door. Ukon left first and Sakon leaned in next to Kankuro's ear.

"Don't push Gaara too hard, he is small." He whispered. Sakon even winked as he left. Kankuro snorted.

"Perverts." He said to himself. Kankuro glanced at the clock Gaara would be home soon. The brunette cleaned up and got himself ready for bed.  
Gaara crept in silently and prepared to go to bed once he got to the dorm. He watched his brother's sleeping form in the dark. Gaara then climbed into his own bed and did his best to go to sleep.

* * *

I do try to avoid switching, believe it or not. I apologize for it... 


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